I open the bathroom door and go into the bedroom. I am fixing to open the door to head back to the living room when I feel a pinch in my arm and I can’t breathe. Suddenly everything goes black.
Brody
I step out of the shower and hear nonstop banging on the door. Why is Leighton not answering the door? I grab a towel and dry off quickly before heading to the bedroom to grab clothes. I go to the front door and open it to find Josh standing there for the second time tonight. What is with this guy?
“Is Leighton still here?” he asks, barging in for the second time tonight.
“I just got out of the shower, but I really don’t think she is.” I start looking all over the house for her, but can’t find her anywhere. Where did she go? I have a really bad feeling in the pit of my stomach that I may never see her again.
“I think Samantha is headed for Nashville. Is that where Leighton has been living? Would she be going there?” He keeps throwing all of the questions at me and I cannot figure out why Sam would be heading to Nashville. Something is definitely off here.
“Why do you think Sam would be heading to Nashville? What is going on with the two of you?”
“It’s complicated,” he says again. “Can you track Leighton’s cell phone? We really need to know where she is,” he says. I grab my phone and type in the information to track her cell phone.
“It looks like she’s headed that way. Can you please tell me what is going on with Sam? Why is she trying to find Leighton?” I ask, hoping he will finally give me a straight answer.
“I will explain everything on the way to the airport. We need to get to Leighton before Samantha does. Do you want to drive or do you want me to drive? I really hope there is a flight out very soon,” he says, opening the door to leave.
I follow behind him and get in his truck. I have no idea what is going on, but I am hoping this guy will finally come clean on what has been going on the past seven years. Wait, if they have been married seven years that means they had to have gotten married right after I left. What is going on?
I call and find the airport with the quickest flight to Nashville. I am hoping Leighton is on the one that left an hour before us and we aren’t too far behind her. I keep trying to call, but she’s not answering her phone.
When we finally get our tickets and are seated on the plane, I look over to Josh. “Can you please tell me what’s going on now?” He looks at me and nods before telling an unbelievable story.
“I think it all started with you,” he says confusing me. How could I possibly have had anything to do with him and Sam getting married and breaking Leighton’s heart? “I came home in October after I left for school in September. I hated school, mainly because I was missing Leighton like crazy.” How does this have anything to do with me? I left her in September.
“I saw Samantha out one night. I was partying pretty hard because I was a mess. My parents were mad I had dropped out of college. I couldn’t figure out how to tell Leighton what I had done, so I was just trying to forget it all for one night. I remember seeing Samantha that night and talking with her. I don’t remember drinking that much, but the next thing I knew I was waking up in bed with Samantha. I don’t know how it happened, I would never have done that to Leighton,” he says.
“She drugged you,” I say, trying to figure out why she would do that to her sister.
“I think so. I don’t remember anything about that night. I tried to forget about it and avoid her, but a month later she came to me with a positive pregnancy test. I realized then she was crazy when she started planning our wedding. I told her I didn’t want anything to with her but I would take care of my baby. She didn’t like that very much and that’s when she started threatening Leighton.”
“What do you mean threatening Leighton?”
“She said if I didn’t do what she said, Leighton finding out about the baby would be nothing compared to what she had planned. She said she was tired of Leighton getting everything she wanted and it was time she found out what it felt like to lose everything. “
“Do you really think she would have hurt Leighton?” I ask trying to wrap my head around all of this. Could a girl I actually thought I loved at one time really be capable of doing such a horrible thing?
“I didn’t think she would at first, but it didn’t take me long to figure out that she was serious. I know it sounds bad, but I had no choice but to marry her. I was not going to let anything happen to Leighton. I would have done anything to protect her, even if it meant breaking her heart. She was my first priority, as crazy as it sounds,” he says with nothing but love for her in his voice. I still don’t understand how you could marry someone like Sam when you have the chance to have Leighton in your life.
“Why did you say it all started with me?” I ask remembering he had said that earlier.
“A month after we got married, Samantha came to me and said she had miscarried. Honestly I don’t think she was ever pregnant. Leighton came home Christmas and saw me in her house with Samantha. Samantha had told me she wasn’t coming home, but I realized really quickly she had it all set up for Leighton to come home and find me there,” he says, still not telling me how I am involved in all of this. “I felt horrible for letting Leighton find out that way. I packed that night and told her I was going to go find Leighton and tell her everything. Samantha got mad and told me if I left, she would make sure it would be the last time Leighton ever saw anyone. I didn’t believe her until she showed me a locked closet in the garage. She had all kinds of things in there to use to hurt or kidnap anyone she wanted to. I realized then that I would never be able to get out of it. If I tried to leave, she would have killed Leighton or worse. That’s why I am so worried about her now,” he says, looking over at me. “Millions of people in this world and you two had to end up together. You are the reason she hates Leighton. When you two were together, she said Leighton came home early one night and you couldn’t stop staring at her. You broke up with her soon after that and she has blamed Leighton ever since. I was her revenge for you breaking up with her. She is clearly not okay.”
I am still trying to process all of this. If he is a cop, surely he could have stopped her or turned her in for having a closet full of torture devices.
“Why didn’t you ever turn her in?” I ask. He just shakes his head.
“I didn’t have any evidence. She is very smart and careful. She had a legitimate reason for having all of the stuff in her closet. She never technically hurt Leighton. You know as well as I do without proof of something, my word wouldn’t mean anything. I just tried to make sure she never got upset. I didn’t want to give her a reason to hurt Leighton. Ever,” he says. I will have to say I don’t know if I have ever loved any girl enough to make a sacrifice like that. Marrying someone you hate just to protect her. That has to be true love.
“Are you still in love with her?” I ask, turning to look him straight in the eyes. He doesn’t say anything, just stares back at me. He doesn’t have to say anything for me to know the truth. I can also pretty much guarantee that when Leighton finds out what he has sacrificed for her, I will lose her forever.
Finally after what feels like forever, we are off of the plane and headed straight to Leighton. I pull my phone out and decide it’s best to call Ash and see if he has heard from her.
“Hello,” he answers on the first ring. I guess he knew this call was coming.
“Have you heard from Leighton?” I ask.
“Callie just got off the phone with her. I’m not supposed to tell you that though,” he whispers.
“I need you to do me a favor. I think she is headed your way and I need you to protect her until I get there,” I say.
“What exactly am I protecting her from?” He asks, confirming to me that she is headed straight to their house. I really wish she wouldn’t. If Sam is that unstable, I really don’t want to put Callie and those babies in any danger.
“Her sister. She’s a little on the crazy side and
we think she is headed to look for Leighton. Just don’t let anyone in and be on the lookout for anything weird going on. I should be there in about an hour,” I say before hanging up.
“Can he protect her?” Josh asks.
“He will do everything in his power to protect her. He’s married to my sister and they have two newborns at home. I really hope we get to them before Sam does,” I say, watching him pull his phone out. He dials a number and puts the phone to his ear before leaving a message.
“Hey Samantha. Call me now. You know we can work this out. We can stay away from Leighton and we won’t have to worry about her anymore. Please call me back. We can make this work,” he says before hanging up.
“Do you really think that message will work?” I ask, watching him shake his head.
We finally turn into the driveway and I spot a rental immediately. Thank goodness she is already here. I am about to go crazy to see this girl. I am just hoping she is as happy to see me.
We walk up to the porch and Ash immediately opens the door.
“Come on in,” he says holding the door open for us. I walk inside and I immediately start looking for Leighton who is nowhere to be found.
“Where is she?” I say starting to panic.
“She’s in our bedroom. She needed a minute,” Callie says from the couch. “Who is he?”
“This is Josh. It’s a long story,” I say going over to give Callie a hug. “Is she okay?” I ask whispering. Callie just looks at me and shakes her head.
“Why is he here?” she asks, looking over at Josh.
“I’m here to find Samantha,” he says. “I’m really sorry about all of this.”
“It’s okay,” Callie says looking at him strangely. “I’ll go get Leighton.” She lays the baby down in a bouncy seat and I start to feel bad for not acknowledging them sooner. I walk over to squat and talk to them while she goes into the bedroom. I really don’t want to be talking to babies right now, but I have to do something to keep from running into that room and dragging Leighton out before she sees Josh.
“Ash!!!!!” Callie screams from the bedroom. I look up at him the same time he looks down at me and we both start running into the bedroom. “She’s not here,” Callie screams at me. “Where is she?”
“Leighton!!!” I scream, running into the bathroom making sure she’s not in there. “Leighton!!! I start running all over the house looking for her when I hear Ash yell for me. I run back into the bedroom to see him at the window. I walk over to the window and see exactly what he sees.
“She wouldn’t have left her purse and her phone,” Callie says, picking them up off the bed.
“Put it down, don’t touch anything,” Ash says to Callie.
“Why?” she asks. I look back at her and I have no idea how to tell her what I am going to have to tell her.
“Someone took her,” I say, looking at Josh who has just walked into the room.
“How do you know?” Callie asks, looking at Ash.
“The window. The screen has been broken out and the glass was cut just enough to unlock it. Someone knew what they were doing,” he says, pulling out his phone. “I’m calling Bo and Cindy to come get Callie and the girls. I don’t want them here when the police come.”
“Who would do this?” Callie asks, starting to cry.
“Samantha,” Josh says quietly. “She’s still not answering her phone. I have no idea where she would take her,”
“Get her out of here,” I say to Ash, nodding my head in Callie’s direction. That girl has been through enough in her lifetime. She shouldn’t have to witness something like this again. As soon as he gets her out of the room, I call Jaxon and Collin and the police.
“Can you track her phone?” I ask Josh after making the calls.
“I can try,” he says, pulling his phone out to make a call. Ash walks back in the room to tell me my parents are on their way to get Callie and the girls.
“We will find her,” he says, coming over to me.
“Ash,” Callie screams running in the room with both babies in her arms. We both turn around to look at her when she says something we all should have realized sooner. “Where’s Scooby? He didn’t bark when they got here, but he did when Leighton got here.”
“I’ll go check,” I say, walking out the door. I walk outside to find Josh on the porch on his phone.
“Any luck?” I ask. He looks up at me and shakes his head.
“The phone is showing up here. She is either still here or she left her phone. I’m about to start looking for it,” he says. As soon as he walks around the house, I see lights pulling in the driveway. My mom comes running up the steps to give me a hug.
“What’s going on? Ash just told us to come get Callie and the girls. Why are you here?” she asks. My dad walks up behind her and just looks at me.
“What’s going on?” he asks. I try to talk, but nothing is coming out. I am going to lose it right here when I need to be out there finding Leighton. I don’t even know where to start. I’m about to say something when Jaxon and Collin pull up. They are making their way up to the porch when the door opens and Callie and Ash come outside with bags and the babies.
“Just take care of her,” I whisper, nodding my head at Callie. She walks over to me and gives me a hug.
“You will find her,” she says, before letting me go. Everybody just looks at me. I can feel the tears pooling in my eyes when Josh comes around the corner with something in his hand.
“It was by the window,” he says, holding a cell phone up. Great, we have no way to track her now. How will I ever find Leighton now? “There’s also a dog back there,” he says, looking at Callie. “I think he’s okay, just knocked out. You may want to get him to a vet soon though.”
“Who is he?” my mom asks confused.
“It’s a long story. Callie can fill you in,” I say, before turning around to Ash. “Do you have any flashlights? Maybe they are somewhere close.”
“I’ll get them,” he says, before giving Callie a quick kiss and handing a baby to my mom.
“Please take care of them,” he says to my dad, before heading back inside. Collin comes around the corner of the house holding something black. What is that?
“I think he’s okay, just knocked out real good. I’ll put him in the back of the truck and y’all can keep an eye on him,” he says to my dad. The dog, of course. If she would knock a dog out so quick he never made a sound, I’m afraid to think about what she has done to Leighton.
After my parents, Callie and the girls are gone, Ash comes back outside with flashlights. We start to head out to look around when the police finally show up.
“Go start looking. I’ll take care of them,” he says, looking at the cop cars pulling up.
“I’ll go with you,” Josh says, walking over to me with Jaxon and Collin. I nod my head at them and we head out to look over the property. I go straight to the barn and start looking around. Everything looks normal here, even the horses are fine. She has to have gone somewhere. There’s no car anywhere around.
I head back to the house, followed by Josh, Collin and Jaxon. I go inside to talk to the local police in hopes they have had something reported to them that may be a clue as to what’s going on with her. After finding Ash, I see he is still filling them in on everything that has happened around here. They are now in the bedroom looking around.
“She has to have rented a car. Can someone call the airport and see if they have a record of it? If she didn’t use her name, see if they can send us video surveillance of the rental counter. At least then we will have some idea of what we are looking for,” I say, suddenly feeling exhausted. I think I may have to start being a little more sympathetic toward families I have to meet with in these horrible situations. You really never know how someone feels until you have been in their situation.
“I’ll do it,” Josh says quietly. He walks out of the room and I turn around and put my fist through the wall. I scare everyone out of the room except
Ash and my brothers. I’m glad I have them right now, but I really just want to be left alone.
“Hey, we will find her,” Ash says, coming up beside me.
“I know we will find her, but I also know I have lost her,” I say, watching him walk into the bathroom.
“What are you talking about?” Jaxon asks. “I know you’re a pain, but the girl moved to a new town to be with you. You couldn’t have possibly made her want to run in the two days you have been gone.”
“Josh,” I say. “He has lived with that crazy woman for seven years to protect Leighton and I have ruined it all with one dinner.”
“I don’t understand,” Collin says.
“Her sister is Sam. We had dinner with them tonight. Josh is Leighton’s ex who married her crazy sister to protect her because Sam blamed her for me dumping her,” I say, watching their shocked expressions. “When she finds out what he did for her, I will lose her. All I have done is made her boyfriend marry her sister and get her kidnapped.”
“I promise you that girl is in love with you,” Ash says, bringing me a washcloth for my now bloody hand. “Brody, we will find her.” I nod my head at him, even though I don’t believe a word he is saying.
“Sorry about your wall,” I say taking the wash cloth from him.
“It’s okay. Callie will be glad. She wants to knock this house down and build a bigger one. She likes the land, but for some reason thinks our kids need their own room,” he says, shaking his head. I’m really glad he is talking about something so stupid right now. It’s just what I needed. I love my brothers, but Ash is definitely the person who always knows exactly what I need.
“I have the car make. She used her real name for some reason. I guess she didn’t think of everything. Unfortunately their computer systems just went down and they can’t track the vehicle. They are supposed to call me as soon as it gets running again, but they said it would probably be morning,” Josh says, coming back into the room. He looks at the wall and looks back at me. “I guess you were probably pretending that was my face.” I’m about ready to hit him in the face for that remark when Ash’s phone starts ringing.
Trusting You: The Switched Series book two Page 11
